By your side
by Phillozophy
Summary: Zelink week day one: By your side. The clock is ticking and she is next to him, running through the collapsing tower with no end in sight.


**Disclaimer:** hi it's definitely been a while but i'm back for zelink week hot dog don't own zelda btw

* * *

 _..._

 _..._

 _The clock is ticking._

 _Tick._

 _"I have to send you back to your time, Link. To when you are supposed to be. To how you are supposed to be." She doesn't want to send him back but she has to, this is her duty._

 _Tock._

"Zelda, be careful-," He shouts and she screams back wordlessly, terror filling the both of them as they rush down the staircase, tripping and falling and stumbling. The door is up ahead so she bolts in front of her hero, forcing her magic out with a grunt and exploding the bars, turning the particles into shiny dust.

"Over here, Link! Hurry up!" She yells, following him in as soon as he runs past.

They head into the room, the building is collapsing and rubble encased in fire rain down on them, smashing through the ceiling and impacting the floor, leaving huge, burning craters.

Some Stalfos drop down from the holes made by the debris and the two of them make quick work of the monsters, her with her magic and him with his sword. They leave the bodies scorched and bloodied and keep running.

 _Tick._

 _He draws back in shock, "W-Well, I can still visit, right?"_

 _Tock._

The clock is still running and they need to get out of there fast, before the whole tower falls on them, so they keep running and running, jumping past fallen pillars and crashing into walls.

A stray piece of the wreckage hits her shoulder and she cries out, more out of surprise than pain, she is wearing shoulder armor after all, but Link looks back, panicked and worried. She assures him that she's fine, nothing serious happened, and he stares at her for a few more seconds just to make sure she's okay before they keep running.

She can see now that there're magical burns all over his body from that man's attacks, the balls of fluorescent yellow energy that he threw and hit her hero with. She wants to tend to his wounds but she can't, not while they're still in this forsaken castle.

 _Tick._

 _She doesn't respond and she can see the realization in his face, his scarred, beautiful face._

 _Tock._

They run through the bridge leading outside, outside to safety, and only before it's too late do the two notice that there's a ReDead standing _right there,_ the ear-piercing screech rings through the area before they can stop it.

She's screaming and thrashing with all of her might but her body isn't responding and her voice has died in her throat. She can barely move her pupils to glance at the undead monster from the corner of her eye with its gaping, soulless holes for eyes and tiny hole of a mouth, with crooked yellow fangs bared.

It's moving towards Link sluggishly and ominously, clawed hands outstretched, reaching out with its rotted, boney hand as the creature's jaw slowly unhinges and opens _wide,_ rot and blood trailing down in strings from its teeth, wide enough for a human head to fit easily-

 _Tick._

 _His eyes are wide and she can see the tears bubbling up in the corners, he always was a crybaby, and he stammers, "No, no, no, nononono, don't make me leave, Zelda, I can't-,"_

 _Tock._

She can see his eyes and the rest of his face now and he looks so _scared,_ sweat is beading at his forehead and his eyes are huge, filled to the brim with dread. She needs to help him, she can't let him die here, she can't _let Link be scared-_

Sheik overrides her before Zelda can stop it and she breaks free of the paralysis through sheer force of will and crimson red eyes, calling up Din's Fire and smashing the flames into the ReDead before it can touch _her_ hero. It moans and collapses on the floor before turning into ashes.

She grabs Link's hand and sends a pulse of magic through him, hurriedly pulling her dazed hero off of the bridge and through the next doorway after blasting the iron bars covering it into dust. A pillar collapses on the bridge behind them and destroys it, carrying it down to whatever god-forsaken abyss the tower is floating on.

 _Tick._

 _"Give me the ocarina, Link."_

 _Tock._

"Link, pull yourself together!" She barks harshly. "This is the last hallway, come on, up the stairs-,"

He gathers his thoughts and jogs up next to her, they still haven't let go of each other's hands, looking tenderly into her eyes and together they break through the barrier into the light of the outside world, to safety, to freedom, to _love-_

 _Tick._

 _"I love you-," He sobs, tears streaking down his face as he smashes his fists on the pillar of light that surrounds him, "I LOVE YOU, DON'T MAKE ME LEAVE-,"_

 _Tock._

She bolts upright from her bed, breathing heavily. A cool breeze wafts in from her open window and breathes gently on her skin, cooling her sweaty forehead.

The door to her room creaks open and Impa pokes her head in, staring at her with intense, blood red eyes. "Your Majesty…? Are you feeling unwell?"

She swallows before shaking her head and laying back down, turning her back to the door. The door snaps shut and she reaches out absently to the other side of her bed for-

He's not there.

The room feels desolate and chilled now, every tick of the grandfather clock in the corner of her room ringing too loud and filling her head with its incessant tick-tocking.

She bites her lower lip before shifting to the cold, unused side of the bed that smells like something long forgotten and hugging a downy, tear-stained green pillow close to her, burying her face into it.

She shuts her eyes.

"I love you too."

…

…

 _The clock is ticking._

* * *

 **A/N:** well wasn't that a fun one oohhh boy review if you wanna and if you have a tumblr and you wanna follow me it's phillozophy . tumblr . com without the spaces again _review please :^)_


End file.
